The Way of a Shinobi
by Sieben Nightwing
Summary: What would happen if Team 7 had a different sensei? A twist on this question has led to changes in events that will lead the Shinobi World down a whole new sequence. What happens will be determined by the natural order of chaotic events, and there is nothing to stop it this time. Will things be crazier without Orochimaru around? Rating may change.
1. The Genesis of a Team

**Hey everyone, Sieben here. I have decided after much work with some friends to try my hand at a Naruto fiction. There has been almost six months of planning put into this story idea, and I am not gonna toss it away without at least giving it a shot. This is a try at writing something more, realistic, yet just as much fantasy as Kishimoto's original.**

_**General Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Naruto. That is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and will likely remain that way with how well the series is doing. This work does not, and will not, under any circumstance, generate any proceeds to the author, and is intended for entertainment purposes only. I can only claim the rights to the idea of the characters in the Takashiro clan, especially Takashiro Shin, who is a creation of nearly a years worth of painstaking work. If you want details on his character, or wish to use him, I want to know before you do so.**

_**Artistic License Disclaimer**_**: The purpose of fan-written fiction is to provide the fans an opportunity to exercise their creativity, and this work will reflect a great deal of that, while staying as true to the original spirit of the Naruto series as possible. There will be semi-significant changes, and I will not remove them as they are story critical. This is an alternate events work, not an alternate universe or alternate reality. This story will stay strictly within the Ninja World.**

_**Violence Warning**_**: The idea that the Ninja World has no violence was one that needs to disappear from everyone's thoughts. The level of graphic will reflect the seriousness of the conflict at the time.**

_**Terminology**_**: I may use an unfamiliar approach with the terminology, but I am using an approach that I have built up with the aid of several personal friends. It contains a mix of English and Japanese, so if you don't know what a word or term refers to, ask me in a PM or leave your question in a review.**

**With those taken care of, I direct you to the first chapter of "The Way of a Shinobi."**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Genesis of a Team**

Takashiro Shin watched the three students that were to be his potential team with exasperation. They were hardly friendly to one another, in fact, one may go as far as to say that the raven haired boy was put off by the mere presence of the pinkette, who,in turn, was barely less than openly hostile towards the blonde troublemaker. The blonde seemed to be hoping for nothing more than attention, if Shin's past experience with the boy was anything to go by.

Deciding it was time to quit mimicking a certain Scarecrow, Shin slid the door open silently, while none of the three were paying attention, and slipped into the room. Leaning his back against the open door, he cleared his throat, and was rewarded with the sight of the heads of all three of his students whipping around so fast, Shin could have sworn that he heard the raven's neck crack.

He looked at them impassively. "Team 7?" At their nods, he continued, "Let's head up to the roof. If you aren't there in five minutes, I'm returning all three of you to the academy for another year of remedial classes." With that said, he jumped out the window, disappearing from their view.

**-4 Minutes Later-**

With all three on the roof standing before him, Shin proceeded to introduce himself in the 'traditional' Jonin fashion. "Well, since you all managed to make it here, let's start with introductions. Pinky, you first."

"Huh? What are we supposed to say?" the pinkette asked, confusion clearly showing on her features.

"Name, things you like, things you hate, dreams, ambitions, hobbies. Things like that," Shin explained. "Here, since you seem to need an example, I'll go first. I am Takashiro Shin. I like cats, tea, sushi, most types of fish, and swimming. Things I dislike... the only one I'm giving you is that I hate being late without cause. Anything else, you'll have to figure out on your own time. My hobbies are sketching and spending time with my wife and daughter. Dreams, already accomplished mine, so I see no point in telling you what they were."

He pointed a finger at the pinkette, "You're up."

"I am Haruno Sakura. My favorite thing is… well it's not a thing, it's a person. A boy… and that boy is… Uh… let's move on to my dream." Shin could have sworn to never have seen a human turn that shade of red before, and not be lying. "I hate…" Sakura paused for a breath, "**Naruto!**"

The explosion of dark energy that came out with the proclamation of the blonde's name caused Shin to visibly cringe, Naruto's jaw to meet the floor, and Sasuke, surprisingly, to pale considerably.

"Enough. I think we get it Haruno-san," Shin forced out. The atmosphere reverted quite quickly to a normal, lively feeling, causing the two boys to sigh in relief. "You're next, raven."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't see how it matters, considering there is almost nothing I do like. It seems pointless to talk about 'dreams'... That's just a word… But what I do have is determination. I plan to restore my clan. And there is someone I have sworn to kill."

Shin made a mental note to dump the Uchiha with Kakashi as soon as he was able, and to leave Kakashi with instructions on taking care of the mentally unstable boy. Unfortunately, that'd probably have to wait until he managed to have them ready for the Chunin exams. Kakashi wasn't known for helping with others' students.

"And the last one. Shoot," Shin grumbled, sincerely hoping that he'd not have three brats with mental issues that he'd need to fix first.

The blonde, Naruto according to Sakura, adjusted his forehead protector slightly. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen! What I like even better is when Iruka-sensei treats me to ramen at the Ichiraku Noodle Bar! What I hate is the three minute wait after I put in the boiling water. My dream is to one day," Naruto paused for a breath, "be a greater shinobi than Hokage-sama! And then the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!"

Unnoticed by the three graduates, Shin sighed in relief. Fixing the blonde's need for attention would be very simple in comparison to the issues of the other two. His own daughter required more attention than the Uzumaki boy seemed to need.

"Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I want the three of you to prepare for a survival exercise tomorrow. Meet at Training Field 7 one hour after dawn. I have a test for you three, that will determine how the rest of your career as shinobi will carry out. Do not be late, or I will personally ensure that you will never again have a chance become a full shinobi. If you feel you cannot take that risk, come to the training field at sunset to inform me, and you will be sent back to the academy where you will be assigned to another team on the next rotation."

Handing each of his three charges a slip of paper with instructions on what to bring for the exercise, Shin added one more thing to what he would tell them. "Oh, and if you eat breakfast tomorrow morning, don't be surprised to see it come back out later. It's your choice whether or not you decide to eat. Dismissed."

**-50 minutes after dawn, the following morning-**

Naruto's arrival was earlier than Shin had been expecting. The boy was clearly excited, and Shin doubted that he had slept much. Sakura arrived more or less at the same time as the Uchiha, right on time.

Sasuke looked up at the soft click of his silver-haired sensei's booted foot landing on one of the three wooden posts at the Training Field. "Good morning, Takashiro-san," he greeted his sensei.

Sakura was seeing hearts, but she managed to greet her sensei in the same fashion without embarrassing herself by stuttering in front of Sasuke.

Naruto, on the other hand, was anything but subdued with his greeting. "Good morning, Shin-sensei! We're here, so what's the test? I'll beat anything you throw at me!"

"I'm afraid it won't be so easy, Naruto. I'll explain that when I get to it though." Dropping off the post, he placed an alarm clock on the center of the three stumps. "I have set this for noon. You have until then to get these from me," he continued, holding up two small bells. "Anyone of the three of you who do not have a bell by the time this exercise is over," Shin paused again, and took out three bento lunches, before resuming with a grin, "won't get a lunch. Instead, you will be tied to one of these stumps and will watch while your comrades who managed to get a bell and I eat our lunch in front of you."

Shin decided to mollify the terrified look on Naruto's face. "Now, you'll get to eat, you just won't get a lunch. I'm not so cruel as to starve potential students."

Sakura's stomach growled softly, but only she and Shin noticed it. He grinned. "You have until 10:30 to make any preparations you want to, but you may not leave the Training Field 7 boundaries for any reason, or you will be disqualified and sent straight back to the academy. Don't even think about trying to take the lunches before noon. There's a nasty surprise for anyone that tries," he said, eyeing Naruto in particular.

"What happens at 10:30, sensei?" Sakura asked, confused. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"At 10:30, you have to use whatever you have set up and whatever skills you have, to steal these bells from me, and then keep them until time is up. Oh, and just so you know, this test has a 66% failure rate. Get going, and at 10:30, I'm coming to find you, so you'd best be ready to fight me with the intent to kill me, if you even want a chance at the bells."

The three graduates fled off into the trees, and Shin settled in to wait.

**-Later-**

10:30. The time when they had to start trying to get the bells from their sensei. Naruto grinned excitedly, and lept out of the trees to try to get the bells from Shin-sensei. "Hey, sensei! Right now, you and me, fair and square! I'm getting those bells!" Naruto shouted out, announcing his presence like anything except a ninja.

Shin sighed. "You know, here I was, hoping you'd at least be a little more normal. There goes that hope, so I might as well get this over with. Shinobi battle skills lesson one, Taijutsu."

For Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto's attempt at the bells told them only one thing about their sensei. Takashiro Shin was fast. Very fast. Sasuke barely even saw Shin-sensei move to block Naruto's first six attacks.

Before Naruto's fist could connect for his seventh attempt, Shin was quite suddenly crouched behind him, with his hands in the _Tiger_ seal.

"Showing your back so many times. You have very poor technique for a ninja, especially one with the Uzumaki name."

"Huh?" Naruto's confusion was the only thing that kept him from running away from his sensei's aura of certain, humiliating doom.

"Naruto! Get out of there! You'll be killed!" Sakura screamed at him from the bushes where she was hidden.

"What?" He started to turn around in a panic, but his sensei's low voice stopped him cold.

"Too late. I'm going to deal with you in a manner I'm sure she'd be proud of, boy," Shin chuckled darkly. "_Uzumaki Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Devastation!_"

Sasuke would forever remember this incident as an unspeakable horror. Sensei's fingers slammed into Naruto's lower back, launching him along the ground and into the river with a tremendous flash of light. The ground that Naruto had skidded on was scorched black and smoking slightly.

However, despite Sasuke's attentiveness, only Sakura noticed that the ground where Naruto had been standing was now a small circle of smooth glass.

To say that Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke were surprised when eight Narutos came flying out of the river to attack their sensei would be giving them too much credit. It wasn't until there were only six of Naruto remaining that either of them became aware that he was still in the fight.

That was the moment when Shin had switched with one of Naruto's clones, which took the blow instead. The confusion for Naruto, and all five of his clones, was obvious. Each one thought one of the others was sensei using a _henge_ technique, until one of them had the bright idea to dispel all the clones, revealing that all of them had been clones except for one, which had been the original Naruto.

Naruto saw one of the bells on the ground under a tree, and true to fashion, he went for it. His hand never even touched the bell as he was lifted up into the air, both ankles bound by a rope trap.

Shin walked up and picked the bell up off the ground, chuckling. "You let your guard down and didn't look for what could be hidden in plain sight. For someone who loves pranks, you sure are terrible at avoiding them." The sharp whistling of something flying through the air towards him caused Shin to blink in surprise, as he turned to see what exactly he was being attacked with.

Several kunai and shuriken flew into Shin's substitute log, and Sasuke cursed silently at having carelessly given away his position, and fled to relocate himself in a new hidden vantage point.

**-x-x-x-**

The next one Shin encountered was Sakura, who fell to a single, and very simple Genjutsu. To say he was disappointed with the girl was fairly accurate, as he left to find his third student.

He was surprised to see Sasuke standing with his back against a tree, with no evidence of any traps, unlike the few Sakura had set up, and poorly at that.

"Save your boasting for when you get a bell, kid. I don't want to hear it," Shin forestalled Sasuke's retort. "Shinobi battle skills lesson three, Ninjutsu. _Fire Style: Fireball_." Kicking off with a low-powered fireball, Shin was not expecting Sasuke to respond with his own, stronger fireball. The two attacks met in the middle, Sasuke's larger fireball overpowering his, and continuing on to hit Shin.

Or, it would have, had he still been there. Sasuke looked around frantically for his sensei, only for a shadow to cause him to turn around, right into Shin's _Lightning Style: Shocking Touch_.

Shin grimaced slightly as Sasuke spasmed on the ground in pain. They still had half an hour, and if they weren't able to reconvene before time was up, he'd have to give them another chance, having them explain what they did wrong.

Shin really hoped they didn't fail that too. He didn't want to have to explain to Hokage-sama why he'd failed a weighted team, because that would mean Sasuke would be going into a special program, and be put on a team of people who were on a higher level than Sasuke would likely be able to handle.

**-Later, ten minutes past noon-**

In the end, it was Naruto who ended up tied to the stump out of the three. Sasuke had not recovered from running his face into Shin's lightning technique until just after time had run out. Sakura had woken from the genjutsu and cut Naruto down from the third layer of rope traps, and convinced Naruto to help her find Sasuke, so that she could try something.

Shin wasn't going to put Sasuke at fault for not being able to recover from the jutsu in time. And Naruto had been vehemently against helping Sasuke until Sakura drove her slap across his face hard enough that Shin felt his own neck seize in sympathy. That had been when the bell went off to signal noon.

In the end, they had passed, but he waited until they had eaten, before telling them the good news.

"Sensei," Sakura asked timidly, "what would have happened had we failed?"

"Trust me, girl, you're better off not knowing. It's not easy to pass the second time. If anything, it's even harder," Shin's voice was deeply laden with concern, sorrow, and regret. "I have had to fail two teams. It is not a good feeling, knowing that you have to crush their dreams, and send them back to a place that they were so glad to escape from."

Sasuke's face was totally white when their sensei finished, and he swallowed audibly.

"This stone you see, behind me, bears the names of all those who were either Killed In Action, or are Missing In Action. The second is simply a way of saying that they are probably dead, but there is no proof of death. Each one of these people is a true hero, and this memorial stone is how we remember them," Shin continued. "Those who I had to fail, both teams, were second tries. All of them died on missions turned bad, and I knew that they hadn't been ready to take on the world, but they still tried again. This world is not for the naive child, but for the learned shinobi. You will see death, and at some time, you will have to make a kill. It is the task of the Jonin-sensei to prepare Genin for that time, and to be there for them when they need help."

He cleared his throat to silence Naruto before he could interrupt the speech. "Therefore, as the Jonin-sensei of Team 7, I am proud to say that all three of you have successfully attained the rank of Genin of Konoha. I will be scheduling time for each of you individually, as well as time for the entire team to train together, in teamwork and tactics, and perhaps most importantly, time set aside for missions. It is the Genin's responsibility to perform these missions, not mine. I am there to help if you have questions, and to give advice."

Sighing, he stood up and untied Naruto from the stump. "I have to go tell Hokage-sama the good news, so I suggest the three of you head to the hospital to have them check over Sasuke's condition, then go somewhere and get to know each other, because I want you to be able to act with the knowledge that your team will be able to back you up with whatever you do. Division will kill you faster than another shinobi could ever hope to. Team dismissed." With a wave, Shin disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

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**That ends the first chapter of "The Way of a Shinobi." Leave a review, tell me what you liked or didn't like, or what you would like explained in more detail. Takashiro Shin's appearance will be detailed more in the next chapter, aside from what I have touched on here. Kakashi will make an appearance next chapter, and no, he does not have a passing team. I am using an original character as their sensei so that I can write a story without losing sight of where I want to take this. There are so many stories that have started off aiming high, but never got there because the authors lost sight of their goals.**

**Any Jutsu or Techniques that you want explained in more detail than in the story, I hate to say that you're going to have to wait until I get around to creating the sub-lists for those. They will be posted in notes after the chapters, starting about chapter 3. I doubt I'll have time to do it sooner.**

**To all those who are waiting for an update on Chronicles of Clan Northern Harrier, it is still in the rewriting stage, and will probably be that way for a while. It's a difficult idea, and finding solid resources is a pain. So either I take major artistic license with it, and ruin the story for me, or I wait until I can find some reliable resource material. If someone else wants to pick that up, just let me know and I can pass my notes and ideas on to you.**

**One final note before I let you go. I have posted a challenge on my page. It's open to anyone that wants to try, and all stories will be accepted. The criteria are only for stories that will be featured on my profile. Take a shot, and see how it turns out.**

**Happy hunting. Sieben, out.**


	2. Tora, White Hawks, Wave, and a Scarecrow

**Wow, I just cranked out this chapter in a single day. I think that's a record for me. Short chapters, I know, but they'll get longer as I start writing more in depth. Only two reviews, but it's only been one evening. Still, I encourage you to leave reviews dealing with material from the chapter you are reviewing.**

**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of the Naruto series, only that of the Takashiro clan and the individuals that belong to it. I put a lot of work into building them, and I am not giving that up easily. The author will receive no monetary compensation for the writing of this story, nor shall it generate any proceeds.**

**Here's Chapter 2.**

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**Chapter 2: Tora, White Hawks, Wave, and a Scarecrow**

The office of the Hokage was occupied by Jonin, ready to report on the progress of the new teams. Shin stood in the back next to Sarutobi Asuma, both grinning with enjoyment.

"Team 6 is not ready to advance into the ranks of our shinobi at this point. However, I would suggest retesting them as the same unit in three months time, rather than waiting for the next academy class to graduate, Hokage-sama. They work well together, but their skills need some improvement before they are ready to join the ranks." The jonin assigned to Team 6 bowed, and stepped back.

"Your request will be taken into consideration, and a retest for Team 6 will be issued. You may inform your team," the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen responded. "Next, Takashiro Shin. Your report on Team 7?"

Shin stepped forward and bowed. "Despite all expectations, I am pleased to say that Team 7 has passed with flying colors. Their teamwork needs a little work, but they understand it. I would also like to note that several members of Team 7 may need counseling to address some mental and physical issues. It is uncertain at this time, but it may become a particular issue with the Uchiha. I would like to speak with you in private on one additional matter, though that can wait for after the remaining team reports have been given." He bowed again, and stepped back to his previous position beside Asuma.

"I can make some time to discuss with you after this meeting. The counseling should not be an issue, though I hope it doesn't come to that. Thank you for your report." Hiruzen sighed. "Yuhi Kurenai. Your report on Team 8?"

"They passed with little difficulty, Hokage-sama. They are well suited to be a tracking unit, and work very well together. No additional notes at this time," Kurenai's report was brief, and Shin had to remind himself that this was her first team, and she had just recently made Jonin herself.

"Very well. Asuma, Team 10?"

"Passed. Shikamaru may be lazy, but he's certainly got quite the head on his shoulders. It's like a repeat of their parents, if you really needed to know more," Asuma took a drag on his cigarette before continuing. "No notes, other than what is already obvious about the three of them."

"Very well. Teams 7, 8, and 10 will be added to the shinobi ranks, and will be able to take missions late tomorrow, or the day after. Team 6 will be put in for a retest of their skills in three months time on the recommendation of their Jonin-sensei. If that is all, you are dismissed."

As the other Jonin left the room, Shin walked forward to the Hokage's desk. Hiruzen gestured for him to take a seat, and he did so. "What was it you wanted to discuss with me, Takashiro-san?"

"It's about Naruto." Shin took a breath, before he continued. "I would like to be allowed to take him under my wing. Not to adopt him, but to give him some semblance of a family. I feel that I owe Kushina-sensei at least that much."

Sarutobi Hiruzen placed a hand across his forehead and sighed. "I know I showed you his apartment, but there must be something else you want. You wouldn't have come to me in private this way if there wasn't something more to this. Tell me, what benefits would young Naruto gain from this?"

Shin flinched. "Alright, I'll be straight. Naruto is starved for attention. He'll latch on to anyone that gives him that attention, and it's not easy to make him let go once he's done so. Hana and I can give him that easily enough. Also, Haruko already knows what he is, and practically demanded that I tell her. She's developed strong sensor skills, and Hana's told me that the water talks to the child."

"The water _talks_ to your daughter? What does she mean by that?" Hiruzen asked, shock evident on his face.

"I don't know for certain, but I'm willing to guess that it's passed down from Hana's grandmother. Shimizu-sama was a miko, before she married into the clan," he admitted. "Haruko's a bright girl, but we're getting off topic here. Naruto."

"Ah, yes. My mistake. So, you say he needs the attention. Is there anything else?"

"_Hai_, Hokage-sama. He could use proper nutrition, but that I could do even without this going through. This is actually something of a second request, but I'd like permission to tell him about his mother. Haruko's already been sworn to secrecy on the matter by Hana. That incident is actually how we found out that the water talks to her," Shin shook his head slightly. "If I may, I'd also like to start him on one of the techniques Kushina left to me before she passed. When he's ready for it that is. I am not going to put Naruto at risk from his own strengths."

The Hokage sighed deeply. "You've given me a lot to think about with your requests. I will consider them, but I must ask that you wait until I have made my decision. You can start with the nutritional side at your leisure, but wait for the rest please."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. If there is nothing else, I will be going." Shin stood and bowed, then turned to leave. As he was heading through the door, he stuck his head back in. "Heads up, your grandson's heading this way." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

It was nearly a month before Team 7 got the one mission that Shin knew they would get eventually. Every team had to do it at least once. The mission to retrieve the 'lost' pet, Tora. He had drilled them on the history of the elemental nations, and which ones had shinobi villages aside from the 'Great Five' as many called them. Team formations and battle strategies were another thing he'd pounded into them over the month.

"Sensei, you said you were good with cats, right?" Sakura asked when they had stepped outside of the tower. "Do you know where Tora is likely to be?"

"No, but this was probably the easiest mission I ever had when I was a genin. I think my record for the mission still stands, actually. I'll tell you once we're done." Shin smirked, and led them to a civilian park. "Pay close attention kids, I'm only going to do this once."

He picked a single blade of grass and brought it to his lips. The shrill whistle brought all noise to a halt in the immediate area, before Sasuke noticed a small cloud of dust headed straight for them, and moving very quickly. At the front of that cloud was the source, Tora the cat, the target of their mission. Said cat barreled into Sasuke's chest and clung there loosely, clearly resigned to it's fate at being returned to it's owner.

"No Way!" Naruto shouted in disbelief. "How does it know to come to the whistle?"

"Something I learned when I was a boy, is that certain kinds of grass whistles attract different animals. The grass at this park here is useful for calling cats. Tora fell for it once, the second time it made me hunt it down. Never ignored the whistle after that, did you, Tora?" Shin grinned at the cat. "Sometimes it takes a couple tries to get the right cat. I suggest you three carry around a couple fresh blades of grass from this park if we're in Konoha. Never hurts to plan ahead."

Team 7 made their way back to the mission office and returned Tora to it's owner. Shin was about to grab another mission, when he saw the Hokage motion with his eyes that he wanted to talk.

"Alright, good work today. You three can have the rest of the afternoon off, but meet up for team training in the evening. I'll see you then. Team dismissed," he instructed them.

Sarutobi-sama stood and walked out of the room, turning over the desk to Iruka. Leading Shin to a small conference room, he set up a privacy barrier. "I have come to a decision regarding your requests. I will allow you and Hana to take in Naruto, but I would ask that you refrain from telling anything about Kushina until he reaches chunin, in accord with his parent's Last Will. You may teach him a few of the basic Uzumaki techniques, but nothing advanced or anything that can be linked back to them directly. That could complicate matters with international relations that are already fragile enough as they are."

Takashiro Shin nodded, but didn't speak, seeing that the Sandaime had more on his mind.

"I am going to call Jiraya back to the village soon. Do you think you will be requesting a C-ranked mission soon? The chunin exams are nearing, and your team will need at least one if they are going to participate. A client from the Land of Waves arrived earlier today, a bridge builder, requesting an escort back and protection for a project."

"The Land of Waves? I see," Shin interrupted. "It should make a nice mission for them to get out of the village. I'll tell Hana. Oh, did I ever mention she's pregnant? Six months along now," he noted.

"Is she now? That's news to me. I'll pull her off the standby roster, put her on official leave. Thank you for telling me," Hiruzen allowed a smile onto his face. "Anyways, the bridge builder, Tazuna, is requesting protection from bandits. From what he's told us, the Land of Waves has been having problems with bandits and thugs lately," Hiruzen finished.

Shin's eyebrow raised in surprise. "This is the first I've heard of it. I know the clan has a trade post near there, I'll see if I can find out anything more about it. For the moment, set it aside for me. I'll take it anyways, I'd like to get some information before I take my genin on this mission."

Sarutobi nodded. "Very well. Do you want me to tell him that there is a team that has accepted it, but is not able to take it at the moment?"

"No. I wouldn't want to make the client anxious. That could complicate things." Shin stood and made ready to leave. "I'll contact you with anything I find."

"I'll see you again soon then. Good hunting, Takashiro-san," the Hokage bade him farewell and they parted ways.

* * *

When Team Seven met the next morning, Sakura and Sasuke were both surprised to see a more subdued Naruto arrive with Takashiro-sensei. "What's the matter? You're really quiet this morning Naruto," Sasuke asked his teammate.

"I just got a lot to think about. Shin-sensei's family is 'taking me under their wing,' as he called it."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. Sasuke blinked in surprise. Shin chuckled. "It's a Takashiro clan reference. We call our youngest chicks, and once they reach the age where they would go to the academy if they pursue the shinobi lifestyle, they become fledglings. When a bird adopts a lost chick, it's called 'taking it under wing' because that's the motion that birds use to lay claim to the lost chick or fledgling," he explained.

"The clan is also in charge of caring for all of Konoha's messenger birds," a woman's voice said from behind Sasuke and Sakura. "So we tend to speak with a lot of references to avian creatures. Curious, but why does your hair look like a duck nest's in it, Uchiha?"

Naruto couldn't hold back his laughter at this, and Sakura made to peg him to the ground again, but a firm hand grabbed her wrist. "It was meant to be a joke, girl," the woman said to her. She turned around and the first thing her eyes caught on was the lady's shining green eyes. Taking her time to look, she noticed that the copper-haired woman wore the same white tassel as Shin-sensei.

"Hana, love, you didn't have to follow us," Shin told her, before turning to his genin. "This is my wife, Takashiro Hana. Since the Takashiro are a Matriarchal clan, she's the next in line to be the clan head."

"If I didn't follow, how else would I meet my husband's cute little genin?" Hana cooed at them. Shin cocked an eyebrow and she broke into a fit of giggles.

For the first time that any of them had seen, Sasuke blushed in embarrassment. Sakura however, now for the first time saw Shin-sensei's eyes clearly. The violet color drew all her attention, and her thoughts slowed to a stop.

A pinch from Hana brought her back to reality abruptly. "That's fairly dangerous, girly. He wears that cloak so that he doesn't cause every girl that sees him to go into a trance like that," she scolded Sakura softly. "Maybe someday I'll tell you how we met." Standing up, she raised her voice so that the others could hear. "I'll be going now. I look forward to seeing them again sometime soon."

Shin nodded and collected his team to clear another D-ranked mission before giving them the rest of the day off to rest, and reporting to the Hokage with the return message from the trading post, confirming that the majority of the bandits near the Land of Waves were just hired thugs that answered to Gato, the man at the head of Gato Shipping and Industry.

* * *

The following day, Team Seven entered the mission office and collected their client, who seemed put off at the appearances of the three genin.

They left Konoha slightly after noon that day, and the first two days on the road were fairly uneventful. Near midday on the third day, they were ambushed. Substituting out from where he'd sprung the trap, the Jonin-sensei of Team Seven watched as Naruto and Sasuke reacted. Sasuke pinned the chain the attackers used to a tree, and Naruto struck a nice blow to one of them, but the second was on course for Tazuna, who was being guarded by Sakura.

He never made it within arms distance of Tazuna before he was clotheslined by Shin, who had seen enough. Tying the two attackers to a tree, he stripped them of their weapons, being careful of the poison commonly used by the now identified former Kirigakure shinobi.

The interrogation lasted only until he removed the grey hood of his cloak, and one of them saw his eyes. The other spilled everything Shin needed to know. They had been hired by Gato to take out the bridge builder, but it was recent enough that Tazuna couldn't have known that Gato had ninja after him.

Shin doubted, however, that whatever ninja Gato had hired would want to fight 'The Stalking Thunder', unless Gato had paid them half in advance of a ridiculous sum. He felt confident that his genin would be safe with him, but sent a bird back to Konoha as a precaution, with the message "_Encountered enemy shinobi. Hired too recently for client to have foreknowledge. Continuing Mission, second Jonin requested, without genin team._" He also knocked out the remaining attacker, and marked the area for Konoha's ANBU to retrieve the ninja for further interrogation.

Sasuke had apparently gotten a sob story out of Tazuna while he had been taking care of the two chunin-level attackers, and the three genin had voted to continue the mission anyway. The remainder of the five day trip to the coast was uneventful, and they took a small boat across to the Land of Waves.

Shin's doubts proved well founded when the 'Demon of the Bloody Mist', Momoichi Zabuza, showed up to ambush them on the island.

Naruto had thrown a kunai at movement in the bushes, and they had investigated, only to discover a white snow rabbit in the middle of summer. Then the sound of a large blade flying through the air reached Shin's ears.

"Get down!" Shin grabbed the client and pulled him to the ground, out of the path of the flying decapitation tool. Standing up, he saw the bandaged rogue Kiri ninja standing on the blade, which was quite well planted in the tree.

"Well, what do we have here? A bunch of Konoha brats? Why don't you take off that hood and let's have a look at you, since you seem to be the leader here," Zabuza taunted. As if on cue, Naruto and Sasuke facepalmed. Sakura looked a little confused, but it wasn't obvious. Tazuna had absolutely no idea why the three genin reacted this way, but he thought it was something that was a ninja thing.

Laughing, Shin dropped his hood and looked up at Zabuza with a grin on half of his face, the other half promising painful retribution if crossed. "You still want to fight, Momoichi Zabuza? Might give my genin a show of what a battle between Jonin is like, show them what they have the chance to become," he countered.

Zabuza dropped off his sword and pulled it out of the tree. "I am not being paid anywhere near enough to deal with you, you damn human thunderstorm," he groused. "Haku, we're leaving. This job is pointless now." Slinging his sword on his back, Zabuza walked off, and another person, probably this 'Haku' that he had addressed, jumped down beside him as they walked off.

"Sensei, what did he mean by 'you damn human thunderstorm'?" Sakura asked.

Shin paused for a moment, then palmed his forehead. "Oh, that's right. You were kinda blanked out for that when I told the boys. Short version, the alias I have is 'The Stalking Thunder' because I have a lot of large Lightning techniques, and I tend to prefer the first strike coming from an unseen position. Sasuke already had a taste of that during the test," he summarized for her.

Turning to Tazuna, he continued speaking. "My expectation is that we'll see those two again, but not necessarily as foes. Gato is more likely to try for a hostage situation or a frontal assault after he learns of this. He might higher another ninja, if he can find one, but I should be able to deal with any ninja he sends our way, unless he gets some Wind users. Genin are capable of handling common thugs and bandits, so I'll leave that route to them." He paused, then added, "Is your home nearby? If not, we're going to have to travel fast."

"My home is close. Not much farther actually," Tazuna replied. "Follow me. It will be nice to see my daughter and grandson again."

* * *

Two days later, the arrival of Hatake Kakashi at Tazuna's house was a welcome sight to Shin and his genin team.

"Any news?" he asked Shin.

"Ran into Momoichi Zabuza, but Gato wasn't paying him enough to fight me. He walked." Both Jonin had a laugh at that. "I suspect he's likely to hire other rogue ninja in the area if he can find them. Otherwise, he'll probably go for a hostage or a frontal attack at the bridge. If you can handle training one of them in rotations, that'll allow me to focus on another one while the third is watching the client," Shin outlined his plan for the remainder of the mission.

"I can do that," he confirmed. He turned to the three genin. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes. My dreams for the future are none of your business. I have lots of hobbies."

The blank stares from all three genin was only broken when sakura muttered, "All we learned was his name."

"And that's all you really want to know about him," Shin told her, looking pointedly at Kakashi. "I don't want to see that book while we're on mission."

"Hokage-sama made me leave it at home. Technically, I'm on assignment for ANBU, but he told me to leave the mask with him," Kakashi whispered to Shin, whose eyebrows rose in surprise before he nodded.

"So, uh, sensei? When are we gonna start training today?" Naruto asked.

Shin looked at Kakashi, before both smiled at the three genin. "Right now," they said in unison.

* * *

**And that's the end of chapter 2. Team 6 will play a role later in the story. If anyone has any ideas for characters, please include it in a review, and I will consider them. Names for team 6 and its Jonin-sensei would be welcome as well.**

**Also, if someone wants to suggest a rogue ninja for gato to hire, include it in a review. Originals are acceptable, but existing ones are prefered.**

**Unlikely for updates to continue at this speed unless I get reviews. I want to hear opinions people, because that's what keeps me writing.**

**Someone asked me in a PM for a description of Takashiro Shin, so I'll include a somewhat detailed one here.**

185 cm and 72.6 kg

Short to mid-length silver hair and deep Violet eyes.

Wears the standard Konoha Jonin uniform with a grey hooded cloak, plated boots, and the white tassel of the Takashiro clan around his waist. His Konoha forehead protector is on his right arm, just below the shoulder.

**The next chapter will be a bit of time, so that I can get some reviews.**

**That's all for that. Sieben, out.**


	3. The Battle, Recovering, & Returning Home

**In regards to a review I received via PM, I have something to address that may have caused some confusion.**

**Most Kunoichi are still capable of missions or other duties for the first part of pregnancy. In the life of a shinobi, when the pregnancy reaches six months, women are generally discouraged from performing heavy work, and thus may be put on leave for the final portions of their pregnancy, which is what happened in chapter 2.**

**I hope this clears up any confusion, and hope you enjoy this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Battle, Recovering, and Returning Home**

The morning of the fifth day after Kakashi's arrival in the Land of Waves was a fairly normal one. Kakashi had stayed behind at Tazuna's house with Naruto, while Shin had taken Sasuke and Sakura to the bridge along with their client. Things changed from normal to bad quickly.

The bridge was shrouded in heavy fog, and many of the workers lay unconscious on the ground. Shin detected a faint smell, but couldn't put his finger on it. Apparently, Sasuke had picked it up too, and his hand drifted towards his holstered kunai.

"Sakura, stick close to Tazuna," Sasuke took the lead. She did so, drawing a kunai and focusing her ears on their surroundings as they walked farther onto the bridge. Sasuke held up a fist, signaling a stop. Looking ahead, he spotted two shapes approaching in the mist.

"Well, three out of four today? Some luck, 'eh Haku?" Zabuza laughed. "Gato agreed to pay double my fee, boy. That's a lot of money to take out both your team and the bridge builder. I think I'll have some fun playing with you first, Takashiro. Haku, you take the one with the black hair first. He looks like the bigger threat of the two tykes."

"_Hai_, Zabuza-sama," the highly effeminate boy replied, before closing in on Sasuke. After several clashes between them, Haku slowly lured the Uchiha further from his companions.

"Well, looks like they're having quite the time. What say we start our own fight?" Zabuza voiced just before he charged at Shin, who ducked under the swing of Zabuza's sword and lashed out with a vicious kick.

Zabuza hopped over the kick, and Shin took the chance to jump back, away from Zabuza. During his brief respite, he drew his tanto from within his cloak, and braced it in a reversed grip against his forearm. When Zabuza closed again, steel met steel, sending sparks flying as the two Jonin sprung away for a second time.

"Huh, never took you for a swordsman. That thing just for show, or are you actually any good with that toy?" Zabuza taunted. Shin's cringe caused him to chuckle and close in again.

Shin wasn't going to be able to play Zabuza's game, not if he wanted to see his family again, so he jumped onto the flat of the giant blade as his opponent swung at him, and used it as a platform to jump over the former Kiri ninja. Landing in a crouch, Shin stabbed behind him with as much force as he dared use this early in the fight, and was rewarded with the satisfying, and surprising, sound of his blade meeting flesh.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a wound that would impair his sword wielding opponent, and Shin was forced to roll away from Zabuza or risk being struck by the heavy blade his opponent was using.

Zabuza's muffled curses at Shin's luck brought him a slight smile, but that lasted only a moment before he was once again evading the swings of the sword for all he was worth.

That lasted until Naruto and Kakashi arrived, and Naruto leapt in to help Sasuke, who was trapped in a dome of icy mirrors, courtesy of Haku. Kakashi went to help Shin fight off Zabuza, who was running Shin towards the limits of his endurance.

Kakashi's Sharingan led to Zabuza using the _Kirigakure no Jutsu_, shrouding the bridge in mist to the point where you could hardly see five feet to the front. After Kakashi took a hit from Zabuza's blade protecting their client, the Jonin felt the ominous chakra of an enraged beast, which caused all three to look in that direction briefly.

"You know, I really don't think we should keep playing around," Shin spoke as he sheathed his tanto. "What do you say to one last jutsu, finish this now?"

Zabuza paused in contemplation. "Hmm? Just one jutsu? You're giving up so soon?" he barked a laugh. "Come, you must certainly have better than that in you!" He took up his blade and charged, only to be met with several hounds erupting from the ground to bite him, courtesy of Kakashi.

"I'd rather not kill myself from exhaustion, thank you," Shin bit back sharply. The air around him sizzled audibly, and sparks began to gather in his hands. "This particular jutsu is a nasty one. It likes to chain between targets, when it has multiple, though that'll lessen the impact that each one takes."

Zabuza's eyes widened in realization and shock. "The _Lightning Eel_. You have enough chakra left to do that?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"Barely. I'm not sure I still have enough to kill you with it, actually," Shin admitted. "Though I doubt you'd be able to do much of anything anyway."

"Feh. You've earned your win. Finish it then, I don't like these miserable dogs anyways," he coughed out.

Shin nodded to Kakashi, who released his technique. As Shin unleashed his own jutsu, a blur of motion appeared right before Zabuza, taking the eel-like bolt of electricity in full force. The jutsu wrapped around the boy and struck Zabuza as well, their screams of agony short-lived as they collapsed shortly before Shin fell to his knees in exhaustion.

Zabuza's airy laugh caught Shin's attention, and he looked up to see the mist dispersing, and Naruto running their way. "Heh, good job, Haku," Zabuza wheezed, clinging to consciousness.

"After all he does for you, you only see him as a tool?" Naruto shouted, his emotions overpowering his reasoning.

"Shut up, kid. Haku's too kind to kill. Broke his heart to fight you after that day," Zabuza whispered, too quietly for Shin to clearly make out what he was saying. "He told me about your meeting in the forest. Too bad, really. You two might have gotten along bet-" whatever Zabuza was saying was interrupted by a harsh wheeze, and a new voice.

"Well, what do we have here? Looks like you're just about dead already. 'Demon of the Mist,' heh, what a joke. More like a 'baby demon.'" Roaring laughter erupted from the band of thugs behind the short man.

"Gato," Zabuza struggled to say. "What are you doing here? Why all those thugs?"

"I never intended to pay you double, you gullible fool. In fact, I never intended to pay you at all," Gato smirked. "I was simply going to let the two sides fight it out and then kill whoever was left in their weakened state after the fight was over." More laughter and jeers followed this statement.

Shin noticed Naruto growling in rage, and he would have sworn that the boy had red chakra surrounding him, had he not been so tired. Sakura had extracted the senbon from the quite alive, and now conscious Sasuke, and was supporting him as they walked towards their tired sensei.

Kakashi stepped in front of Naruto, surprising the boy and Shin saw the red chakra disappear. "Yes, well I apologize for having to disappoint you then, Gato," Kakashi spoke up. "You see, I'm still fairly fresh, and this boy here has a bit of steam that needs to be worked off."

Gato blanched as Kakashi pulled out a kunai, and Naruto did the same. "Well, what are you waiting for? Kill them!" he screamed, as he ran for cover behind his thugs.

Gato's thugs, now motivated, raised their weapons and charged. Kakashi and Naruto turned to look at each other, then they shrugged and leapt into the midst of the thugs, kunai glinting in the morning sun. The spattering of blood covered the ground like a mural when the thugs finally backed off to regroup their numbers. This ended up being a moot point, however, when a staccato 'twang', followed by a whistling and a soft 'thud' brought all eyes to Gato's figure.

There, embedded in the crime lord's heart, they could see clearly the feathers of a crossbow bolt. Gato staggered back, clutching at his chest. He teetered on the edge for quite some time, for a man hit with a crossbow at least, before finally falling over the edge.

The eruption of cheering behind them was revealed to be the villagers, all clad in some form of makeshift armor. The thugs, however, were less than disheartened.

"You guys just killed our meal ticket!" one shouted. "Yeah! All that's left for us now is to go and plunder to our hearts' content, since there's no one to tell us to hold back any longer. Let's go, boys!" Another shouted, and led the charge towards the villagers, their eyes full of nothing but madness and thoughts of base desires.

"_Art of the Shadow Doppelganger_." Naruto muttered, and four more of himself popped into existence.

'_Nice one, Naruto_,' Kakashi thought. "_Art of the Shadow Doppelganger - Kakashi Style_," He intoned, creating eight copies of himself.

The sight of eight additional instances of Kakashi was the breaking point for the thugs. They panicked, turned, and ran away, piling onto the boat in such a hurry that the majority of those left fell into the water and drowned.

Shin never saw Gato fall, having closed his eyes at the beginning of the charge, content that Kakashi would be able to handle it. He only found out later, when he woke back at Tazuna's house. Kakashi had used his clones to help carry him back, along with the comatose Haku and Zabuza, the latter of which had slipped into unconsciousness during Kakashi and Naruto's fight with Gato's thugs. When asked, Kakashi had simply stated that it was Shin's decision what to do with them, not his own.

Sasuke was still in recovery, and the bridge was still incomplete at that point, so Shin decided it would be best to stick around until the bridge was finished and then leave, as per his original plan. Kakashi had taken over providing security for the bridge, and Shin was left to train his genin team. Shin had a bit of a shock the first time he saw Sasuke's Sharingan active, and after a bit of prodding, Sasuke admitted to having awoken it during the battle with Haku.

Sakura had been rather discouraged after seeing what the fighting was like, and had approached her sensei early one afternoon, asking what he thought of her progress. Shin had encouraged her to work on physical exercise and chakra control, to improve on her low stamina and reserves. The pinkette had taken his suggestion to eat more with a grain of salt, until Shin told her that she should check out a book on nutritional values and the needs of the body for effective shinobi from the library if she didn't believe him.

Sakura's entire thought process had come to a screeching halt, having to reprocess what she'd just been told compared to what she'd been hearing from most of her friends from the academy. Deciding that she'd try what sensei was telling her, she nodded and headed off to practice her control exercises.

Naruto, on the other hand, was a bit of a mess. Shin had found him sitting on the end of the small dock at Tazuna's house in the middle of the night, with his head in his hands. Sitting down beside the Uzumaki boy, he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "My first kill had me feeling the same way you're feeling. It's good that you feel bad about killing. It means you're still human."

"I feel like a monster. It's not right, taking away a life," Naruto mumbled.

"If you can get away with not killing someone, while being certain they aren't a threat anymore, then not killing them can be a better option at times. It takes more skill and finesse to not kill someone, but what that boy Haku did to Sasuke was just as effective as killing him would have been," Shin admitted. "The thing you need to be careful of is feeling nothing about killing an opponent. Even the most experienced shinobi feel something when they take away a life. They just have their ways of coping with it. I use my sketches as a way to cope. Kakashi has his books, which I want you to stay away from until you're older. Some ninja develop perverted tendencies, some gamble, and some drink heavily."

"So you're saying that it's okay to kill?" Naruto asked.

Shin sighed. "A shinobi's job is to kill if the client asks us to kill someone. That doesn't mean it's right, to kill just anyone. We only kill when it is necessary, and only those we have to. The number of kills I have made is relatively high, but that is because we were at war at the time." After almost a minute of silence, he added, "I still have nightmares about my first kill, you know. It was another shinobi, and at the time, I couldn't think. In a war, or a battle between more experienced shinobi, if you think, you're dead. Everything has to be instant, because your opponent will not give you time to do otherwise."

"But what about after?"

"After, you will have time to reflect, and feel sorrow, regret, shame, fear, and whatever else. A kill should never be a happy feeling. The only thing to be glad about is that you and your comrades survive to see the sun rise one more day. Because that's what our way of life is. Live each day as it comes," Shin said to him softly.

"And what about being a tool? Was he right about that?" Naruto asked after a short pause.

"Yes, and no. While we are tools for our superiors to use, we are not machines. We can refuse to follow immoral or inexcusable directives, though that is usually at great cost to ourselves. We have a duty to protect our nation and our homes, and if that requires that we throw away our lives to do so, then we will do that. But we will always have our own desires, feelings, and dreams." Shin stood, "Come on, let's go back inside. It's getting towards morning."

**-x-x-x-**

It was nearly a full week later that the bridge was finally finished and they could head back to Konoha. Kakashi had gone on ahead with the comatose bodies of Zabuza and Haku, along with a letter from Shin to Hokage-sama explaining the details, so that Team Seven wouldn't be burdened down with the additional weight on their return journey.

After a tearful farewell, and the naming of 'The Great Naruto Bridge', Team Seven started their trip home. The first night of the trip, the three genin were introduced to the world of paperwork in the form of mission reports.

"These are only filled out by an entire team when the mission encounters complications, like this one did," Takashiro-sensei told them. "Normally, only the team leader has to file one for missions outside the village, and rarely do genin ever fill them out. You won't have to turn in your reports for the village's records, you'll be turning them in with me. I'm having you do this because I think you could use the introduction to it, even if it is a pain to do. I'll answer any questions you have regarding these reports, because you don't need the experience of having to struggle through them just yet."

After five minutes, all three genin were regarding the things with disgust and Naruto had almost gotten his half-finished report incinerated within the campfire, if it hadn't been for a last moment save by Sasuke. They had all finished theirs by the end of the third night, and Naruto had vowed to forever ban such an affront to ninja when he became Hokage. Shin didn't have the heart to tell him that these were easy compared to what the Hokage dealt with on a daily basis.

When they finally arrived back in Konoha on the fourth day of traveling, they had been gone for nearly a month. Shin dismissed the three with a wave, and headed off to turn in his own paperwork to the Hokage.

Naruto had almost immediately charged off to the Ichiraku Noodle Bar, having not been there since they had left Konoha for their last mission. The Ichiraku's were delighted to see Naruto again, and listened eagerly to his, perhaps over embellished, tale of what he had done on his mission with delighted smiles.

Sasuke had headed directly home, put away his travel gear, and collapsed onto his own bed. He simply was glad that there was nothing he had to do, and that he could once again relish the feel of a real bed, rather than the ground.

Sakura was the only one who had a destination in mind, and something to do. She headed to the library, as her sensei had suggested to her, and pulled out a scroll about the nutritional needs of young ninja. She was surprised to discover that what she needed most was to eat more, and spend less time on her image. The time she spent getting ready was time lost building her reserves, and her lack of nutrition caused her body to suffer a lack of energy that could be used to keep going longer.

Most shocking, however, was that not eating caused her mind to suffer from the lack of energy, and thus misinterpret what her body was trying to tell her. According to the scroll, this downward spiral was the reason many young women failed to adapt to the shinobi lifestyle, and led to their failure to become a kunoichi, or their early demise in the shinobi world.

Sakura vowed that she would admit to herself that she had been wrong, and left the library to head home where she could reflect on what she had just learned.

**-x-x-x-**

"Hokage-sama," Shin greeted as he was admitted by Hiruzen's secretary.

"Ah, Takashiro-san. You've returned. I hope the trip back was pleasant?" Sarutobi returned the greeting.

"It was. I take it you've already heard from Kakashi then?" Shin remarked. "I have a few things that I didn't want to include in the written report, in case it was intercepted. It concerns Naruto."

Sarutobi set down his pen, and activated the intercom. "Move my appointments back if I'm not finished here by the time the next one arrives. I would like to not be interrupted," he informed his secretary.

Upon receiving the affirmative, he released the intercom switch, and turned to face Shin. "I take it this concerns his tenant then?" When Shin nodded, he sighed. "Alright. What happened? You can have as much time as is needed to tell me the situation at this point."

Shin squared his shoulders, and went into a more formal tone. "During the battle, with Sasuke and Naruto going up against Haku, the boy brought back along with Momochi Zabuza, Sasuke was placed in a death-like state. Haku, likely seeking to unnerve Naruto, spoke as if he had truly killed Sasuke, which led to Naruto becoming enraged. I was engaged with Zabuza at this time, and as such I was unable to see what happened directly, but I know I felt the Kyuubi's chakra. From what I heard from Naruto, he ended up punching Haku through one of the boy's ice mirrors, and he really only remembers a red haze until he stopped his fist from very nearly turning his opponent's head into a bloody smear on the concrete. When I checked the seal, it was perfectly fine. I suspect that he will not remember how he even accessed it, and will not seek it out intentionally at this point, unless something drastic should happen to someone he cares about."

How Shin had spoken that entire thing without pausing for breath, Hiruzen doubted he'd ever know. "Your report is in short, saying that there is no danger of the seal weakening at this time, correct?" he asked in clarification.

"That is correct, Hokage-sama."

"Very well. Then this upgraded C-ranked mission is successfully accomplished by Team Seven." The Hokage pulled out a small scroll and signed off the mission completion, then handed the scroll to Shin. "There is also the matter of the exams in a little more than a month's time," Sarutobi spoke before Shin could turn to leave. "There will be a general meeting soon, and I want you to be there. Will you be nominating your team for the exams?"

Shin paused. "I believe they are ready for the exam, but I cannot say that they will pass it this time. I don't know if they will be able to handle the stress of the back-to-back tests, without some warning. Considering what they just went through, however, they are probably as ready as they will be."

"Very well. I'll mark the roster for them taking the exams," Hiruzen told him. "The records for this mission will read as a C-ranked mission, even though it was more likely in truth a B-ranked one. You may go now, I have paperwork to finish."

Shin bowed, and slipped out of the office.

* * *

**And that's Chapter 3 for you. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I look forward to seeing more reviews from my readers. I mean, seriously? Two reviews per chapter? I know more people are reading my story than that. I want to hear what you all think. Your feedback is what keeps me writing.**

**-Sieben, out.**


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